16 Easy Vegetarian Salads to Make for Dinner Tonight

Kale & Quinoa Salad with Lemon Dressing
Photo: Photography / Antonis Achilleos, Styling / Christine Keely, Ali Ramee

These fresh and flavorful salads get their staying power from plant-based sources like tofu, chickpeas and quinoa, so you can enjoy something filling at the end of the day. Whether you upgrade a simple bagged salad or make a meal with the greens and veggies in your fridge, there's a salad for you in this mix. Recipes like our Kale & Quinoa Salad with Lemon Dressing and White Bean & Veggie Salad are so simple, you just need 25 minutes of active time in the kitchen to whip them up.

01 of 16

Kale & Quinoa Salad with Lemon Dressing

Kale & Quinoa Salad with Lemon Dressing
Photography / Antonis Achilleos, Styling / Christine Keely, Ali Ramee

This kale-quinoa salad pops with different flavors and textures. Massaging the kale helps break down its fibrous nature, while add-ins like toasted almonds, feta and cucumber add crunch and saltiness.

02 of 16

Chickpea, Artichoke & Avocado Salad with Apple-Cider Dressing

5397880.jpg

This delicious 400-calorie salad is a helpful tool for weight loss because it provides a good balance of fiber, protein and healthy fats from loads of veggies and beans, all tossed in a tangy apple-cider vinaigrette. To meal-prep these for lunch throughout the week, pack the dressing and the salad separately and make sure your veggies are thoroughly dried before packing them together.

03 of 16

Kale & Avocado Salad with Blueberries & Edamame

8110978.jpg

Bursting with nutrient-rich produce, this California-inspired salad is a delicious and satisfying way to get your vitamins. We love the unique combination of blueberries, edamame, and goat cheese.

04 of 16

White Bean & Veggie Salad

White Bean & Veggie Salad

This meatless main-dish salad combines creamy, satisfying white beans and avocado. Try mixing it up with different seasonal vegetables.

05 of 16

Fig & Goat Cheese Salad

4548010.jpg

The sweet-and-savory combination of the figs and earthy goat cheese will surely satisfy the palate. If you can't find dried figs, try swapping in dried apricots.

06 of 16

Green Goddess Salad with Chickpeas

4538536.jpg

In this cucumber, tomato, Swiss cheese and chickpea salad recipe, a healthy green goddess dressing is made from avocado, buttermilk and herbs. The extra dressing is delicious served with grilled vegetables.

07 of 16

Winter Greens Bowl

Winter Greens Bowl
Ali Redmond

This one-pan meal packs in lots of protein and flavor as a completely plant-based option.

08 of 16

Orange-Mint Freekeh Salad with Lima Beans

Orange-Mint Freekeh Salad with Lima Beans
Jacob Fox

This salad is loaded with colorful produce: fresh mint, snap peas, radishes and oranges. For pretty snap pea slices, cut them into long, thin strips.

09 of 16

Marinated Tofu Salad

Marinated Tofu Salad
Victor Protasio

Tofu soaks up the flavors of lemon, cumin and coriander in this marinated tofu salad. The marinade does double duty, combining with tahini to transform into a dressing with a nutty taste and creamy texture.

10 of 16

3-Ingredient Green Goddess White Bean Salad

3-Ingredient Green Goddess White Bean Salad
Carolyn A. Hodges, R.D.

Bagged salad and slaw blends are great shortcut ingredients for adding variety without needing to wash and chop lots of different vegetables. Toss a kale-and-broccoli slaw mix with canned white beans and yogurt-based green goddess dressing for a crunchy main-dish salad in minutes.

11 of 16

Bitter Greens Salad with Beets & Oranges

Bitter Greens Salad with Beets & Oranges
Leigh Beisch

Beets may be earthy, tasting of the soil they're grown in, but these roots also contain the most natural sugar of any vegetable. And when roasted, all that sweetness is intensified. This jewel-toned take on caprese swaps tomatoes for beets and oranges and basil for peppery arugula and radicchio. Toasted breadcrumbs sprinkled over the top add crunch.

12 of 16

Quinoa Chickpea Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Dressing

4550449.jpg

This hearty vegan salad is loaded with plant-based power ingredients: chickpeas, quinoa and hummus. We love the crunch of the sunflower seeds and the unexpected flavor of roasted peppers.

13 of 16

Farro Salad with Arugula, Artichokes & Pistachios

8427587.jpg

Precooked farro makes this dish come together in no time. And you can make it in the same bowl you serve it in, minimizing cleanup!

14 of 16

Egg Salad Lettuce Wraps

5241956.jpg

We love the retro vibe of these egg salad lettuce wraps. Iceberg lettuce makes a perfect low-carb swap for bread to serve the egg salad.

15 of 16

Couscous & Chickpea Salad

5241946.jpg

Cooked couscous and canned chickpeas come together in this quick lunch salad. The basil vinaigrette makes it taste anything but basic! When in season, we recommend adding fresh chopped tomatoes for a spin on tabbouleh.

16 of 16

Mixed Greens with Lentils & Sliced Apple

4548014.jpg

This salad with lentils, feta and apple is a satisfying vegetarian entree to whip together for lunch. To save time, swap in drained canned lentils--just make sure to look for low-sodium and give them a rinse before adding them to the salad.

Was this page helpful?
Related Articles